In some drunken, hyper-local take on the grand customs of both television awards shows and, say, the Andy Williams Christmas special, the annual Philebrity Awards & Non-Denominational, Totally Secular Xmas Pageant is both a congratulation and a celebration. And it’s nearly upon us. Each year, Philebrity asks you, our beloved readers, to answer a series of questions to help us determine the folks who, in the past year, have worked hardest on making this city a better place to be. This is no corny Best of Philly advertorial; it is truly about the churn, the doers, the makers, the helpers and, yes, in the category of “Excommunication,” the haters.

Having already addressed our annual top secret panel of Philly experts (chosen from a variety of fields) to begin to put together this year’s nominees, we can now say that polls will open on this Thursday, November 29. And they’ll stay open until Wednesday December 19th, whereupon awards will be handed out at the big show, held this year at Johnny Brenda’s. Expect a mix of holiday music and comedy both traditional and brand new! The awards show will be free to attend, and, as in year’s past, will feature some of our favorite Philly acts, each putting the X back in Xmas.

BUT WE COULD USE A HAND! While we are still considering nominees from that top secret Illuminati jawn panel, we’d love to hear your suggestions as well, in the comments below. As with last year, this year’s categories are as follows:

· Non-Profit Of The Year
· New Musical Artist Of The Year
· Print Publication Of The Year
· Festival Or Gathering Of The Year
· General Excellence In Writing For A City Publication
· The Philebrity Award For General Fabulousness
· Business Of The Year
· Phoodie Of The Year
· Outstanding Do-Gooder(s) Of The Year
· EXCOMMUNICATION

You can view last year’s winners here. Additionally, we are looking for local acts to contribute to this year’s pageant; if you’re interested, write to us at tips[at]philebrity[dot]com. The roster for this is going to fill up and be announced soon, so if you have a hankering to perform “Simply Having A Wonderful Christmas Time” or do your Chanaukkah Charry bit, hit us up at tips[at]philebrity[dot]com. To surmise: Save the date, throw in your lot, and, as always in Philly, vote early and often!